diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 19d583b30..1878f126a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ include(ProjectSetup)
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Primary IPPL options
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-set(IPPL_PLATFORMS "OPENMP;CUDA" CACHE STRING "Platforms to build IPPL for")
+# set(IPPL_PLATFORMS "OPENMP;CUDA" CACHE STRING "Platforms to build IPPL for")
+set(IPPL_PLATFORMS "SERIAL" CACHE STRING "Platforms to build IPPL for")
 option(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS "Build IPPL as a shared library" OFF)
 option(IPPL_ENABLE_UNIT_TESTS "Enable unit tests using GoogleTest" OFF)
 option(IPPL_ENABLE_FFT "Enable FFT support" OFF)
diff --git a/alpine/ParticleContainer.hpp b/alpine/ParticleContainer.hpp
index 673a43d74..39a1d68c7 100644
--- a/alpine/ParticleContainer.hpp
+++ b/alpine/ParticleContainer.hpp
@@ -10,16 +10,21 @@ template <typename T, unsigned Dim = 3>
 class ParticleContainer : public ippl::ParticleBase<ippl::ParticleSpatialLayout<T, Dim>> {
     using Base = ippl::ParticleBase<ippl::ParticleSpatialLayout<T, Dim>>;
 
+private:
+        PLayout_t<T, Dim> pl_m;
 public:
     ippl::ParticleAttrib<double> q;           // charge
     typename Base::particle_position_type P;  // particle velocity
     typename Base::particle_position_type E;  // electric field at particle position
-private:
-    PLayout_t<T, Dim> pl_m;
 
 public:
     ParticleContainer(Mesh_t<Dim>& mesh, FieldLayout_t<Dim>& FL)
-        : pl_m(FL, mesh) {
+        : 
+        pl_m(FL, mesh) 
+        , q("charge")
+        , P("velocity")
+        , E("electric_field")
+        {
         this->initialize(pl_m);
         registerAttributes();
         setupBCs();
@@ -31,10 +36,6 @@ class ParticleContainer : public ippl::ParticleBase<ippl::ParticleSpatialLayout<
     void setPL(std::shared_ptr<PLayout_t<T, Dim>>& pl) { pl_m = pl; }
 
     void registerAttributes() {
-        //only needed for vis
-        P.set_name("velocity");
-        q.set_name("charge");
-        E.set_name("electric_field");
         // register the particle attributes
         this->addAttribute(q);
         this->addAttribute(P);
diff --git a/src/Field/BareField.h b/src/Field/BareField.h
index 06c80aef5..3904fbaef 100644
--- a/src/Field/BareField.h
+++ b/src/Field/BareField.h
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ namespace ippl {
          * checks in the rest of the BareField methods to check that the field has
          * been properly initialized.
          */
-        BareField();
+        BareField(const std::string& name_="UNNAMED_BareField");
 
         BareField(const BareField&) = default;
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ namespace ippl {
          * @param l of field
          * @param nghost number of ghost layers
          */
-        BareField(Layout_t& l, int nghost = 1);
+        BareField(Layout_t& l, int nghost = 1, const std::string& name_="UNNAMED_BareField");
 
         /*!
          * Creates a new BareField with the same properties and contents
@@ -172,6 +172,8 @@ namespace ippl {
 
         HostMirror getHostMirror() const { return Kokkos::create_mirror(dview_m); }
 
+        const std::string get_name() const{ return dview_m.label(); }
+
         /*!
          * Generate the range policy for iterating over the field,
          * excluding ghost layers
diff --git a/src/Field/BareField.hpp b/src/Field/BareField.hpp
index 9328cd223..e3d0e93a6 100644
--- a/src/Field/BareField.hpp
+++ b/src/Field/BareField.hpp
@@ -83,13 +83,25 @@ namespace ippl {
     namespace detail {
         template <typename T, unsigned Dim, class... ViewArgs>
         struct isExpression<BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>> : std::true_type {};
+    
+        template <typename view_T, size_t... I>
+        view_T make_zero_extent_view(const std::string& name, std::index_sequence<I...>) {
+            // Expands to dview_m(name, 0, 0, ..., 0) with Dim zeros
+            return view_T(name, ((void)I, 0)...);
+    }
+    
     }  // namespace detail
 
     template <typename T, unsigned Dim, class... ViewArgs>
-    BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>::BareField()
+    BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>::BareField(const std::string& name_)
         : nghost_m(1)
+        , dview_m([&]{return detail::make_zero_extent_view(name_, std::make_index_sequence<Dim>{});}())
         , layout_m(nullptr) {}
 
+
+
+
+
     template <typename T, unsigned Dim, class... ViewArgs>
     BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...> BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>::deepCopy() const {
         BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...> copy(*layout_m, nghost_m);
@@ -98,8 +110,9 @@ namespace ippl {
     }
 
     template <typename T, unsigned Dim, class... ViewArgs>
-    BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>::BareField(Layout_t& l, int nghost)
+    BareField<T, Dim, ViewArgs...>::BareField(Layout_t& l, int nghost, const std::string& name_)
         : nghost_m(nghost)
+        , dview_m([&]{return detail::make_zero_extent_view(name_, std::make_index_sequence<Dim>{});}())
         //     , owned_m(0)
         , layout_m(&l) {
         setup();
diff --git a/src/Field/Field.h b/src/Field/Field.h
index eda5713b9..0fcbd3905 100644
--- a/src/Field/Field.h
+++ b/src/Field/Field.h
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ namespace ippl {
         // 'initialize' function before doing anything else.  There are no special
         // checks in the rest of the Field methods to check that the Field has
         // been properly initialized.
-        Field();
+        Field(const std::string& name_="UNNAMED_Field");
 
         Field(const Field&) = default;
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ namespace ippl {
         virtual ~Field() = default;
 
         // Constructors including a Mesh object as argument:
-        Field(Mesh_t&, Layout_t&, int nghost = 1);
+        Field(Mesh_t&, Layout_t&, int nghost = 1, const std::string& name_="UNNAMED_Field");
 
         // Initialize the Field, also specifying a mesh
         void initialize(Mesh_t&, Layout_t&, int nghost = 1);
diff --git a/src/Field/Field.hpp b/src/Field/Field.hpp
index fbf443572..974f8d709 100644
--- a/src/Field/Field.hpp
+++ b/src/Field/Field.hpp
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ namespace ippl {
     // checks in the rest of the Field methods to check that the Field has
     // been properly initialized
     template <class T, unsigned Dim, class Mesh, class Centering, class... ViewArgs>
-    Field<T, Dim, Mesh, Centering, ViewArgs...>::Field()
-        : BareField_t()
+    Field<T, Dim, Mesh, Centering, ViewArgs...>::Field(const std::string& name_)
+        : BareField_t(name_)
         , mesh_m(nullptr)
         , bc_m() {}
 
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ namespace ippl {
     //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     // Constructors which include a Mesh object as argument
     template <class T, unsigned Dim, class Mesh, class Centering, class... ViewArgs>
-    Field<T, Dim, Mesh, Centering, ViewArgs...>::Field(Mesh_t& m, Layout_t& l, int nghost)
-        : BareField_t(l, nghost)
+    Field<T, Dim, Mesh, Centering, ViewArgs...>::Field(Mesh_t& m, Layout_t& l, int nghost, const std::string& name_)
+        : BareField_t(l, nghost, name_)
         , mesh_m(&m) {
         for (unsigned int face = 0; face < 2 * Dim; ++face) {
             bc_m[face] =
diff --git a/src/Particle/ParticleAttrib.h b/src/Particle/ParticleAttrib.h
index e694585f8..cc25ca80d 100644
--- a/src/Particle/ParticleAttrib.h
+++ b/src/Particle/ParticleAttrib.h
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ namespace ippl {
 
         using size_type = detail::size_type;
 
+        ParticleAttrib(const std::string& name_ = "UNNAMED_ParticleAttrib") : dview_m(name_){}
+
         // Create storage for M particle attributes.  The storage is uninitialized.
         // New items are appended to the end of the array.
         void create(size_type) override;
@@ -100,9 +102,7 @@ namespace ippl {
 
         HostMirror getHostMirror() const { return Kokkos::create_mirror(dview_m); }
         
-        void  set_name(const std::string & name_) override { this->name_m = name_; }
-
-        std::string get_name() const override { return this->name_m; }
+        const std::string get_name() const override { return dview_m.label(); }
 
         /*!
          * Assign the same value to the whole attribute.
diff --git a/src/Particle/ParticleAttribBase.h b/src/Particle/ParticleAttribBase.h
index 0b02a9739..c8c877a26 100644
--- a/src/Particle/ParticleAttribBase.h
+++ b/src/Particle/ParticleAttribBase.h
@@ -36,12 +36,8 @@ namespace ippl {
 
             template <typename... Properties>
             using with_properties = typename WithMemSpace<Properties...>::type;
-
-            ParticleAttribBase(){this->name_m = "UNNAMED_attribute";}
-
-            virtual void set_name(const std::string & name_) = 0;
             
-            virtual std::string get_name() const = 0;
+            virtual const std::string get_name() const = 0;
 
             virtual void create(size_type) = 0;
 
@@ -68,7 +64,6 @@ namespace ippl {
 
         protected:
             const size_type* localNum_mp;
-            std::string name_m;
         };
     }  // namespace detail
 }  // namespace ippl
diff --git a/src/Particle/ParticleBase.hpp b/src/Particle/ParticleBase.hpp
index 37dadcf5c..c6f6961cc 100644
--- a/src/Particle/ParticleBase.hpp
+++ b/src/Particle/ParticleBase.hpp
@@ -52,8 +52,10 @@
 namespace ippl {
 
     template <class PLayout, typename... IP>
-    ParticleBase<PLayout, IP...>::ParticleBase()
-        : layout_m(nullptr)
+    ParticleBase<PLayout, IP...>::ParticleBase() : 
+          R("position")
+        , ID("ID") 
+        , layout_m(nullptr)
         , localNum_m(0)
         , totalNum_m(0)
         , nextID_m(Comm->rank())
@@ -62,8 +64,6 @@ namespace ippl {
             addAttribute(ID);
         }
         addAttribute(R);
-        ID.set_name("ID");
-        R.set_name("position");
     }
 
     template <class PLayout, typename... IP>